A photograph taken at sunset over cornfields in Milford by a young photographer raised there was selected as the Forever stamp to celebrate Indiana’s 200th statehood anniversary. Indiana became the 19th state of the Union Dec., 11, 1816. Celebration festivities will take place throughout the year. The Indiana Statehood Forever Stamp was issued Tuesday at the state capitol in Indianapolis. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence helped dedicate the stamp. The public is asked to share the news on social media using the hashtag #Indianastatehood. “In our state’s bicentennial year, it is altogether fitting that we memorialize the occasion with the issuance of the Indiana Statehood Forever Stamp, which so vividly captures the beauty of rural Indiana,” said Pence, who joined the Postal Service in dedicating the stamp. “Its image will tell of Indiana’s unique beauty as it’s sent to untold locations around the country and around the world. As the sun sets on Indiana’s first 200 years of history, we look forward to a new dawn that builds on the vision cast over our last two centuries.” Joining Pence and Strako in dedicating the stamp were stamp photographer Michael Matti; Indiana First Lady Karen Pence; historian Jim Madison; Bicentennial Commission Co-Chair Becky Skillman and Indiana Bicentennial Executive Director Perry Hammock. Miss Indiana 2015 Morgan Jackson sang the national anthem, and the Indianapolis Children’s Choir provided renditions of historic Indiana songs. “This has to be one of the highlights of my career thus far,” said Matti. “It is truly an honor to have my work immortalized on a Forever stamp.” Matti, an adventure and travel photographer, grew up in Milford and had driven past that view hundreds of times until one day he decided to pull over, stand on top of his car, and take in the sunset. “I was home from Wesleyan University for the summer and on my way back to Milford from a friend's house in Warsaw when I pulled over and took this photo of the sunset,” explained Matti. “I drove by this road every day to Lakeland Christian Academy, so I had seen this view hundreds of times. On this particular evening, the sky just lit up and produced this remarkable sunset. I couldn't resist pulling over, standing on top of my car, and snagging this photo.” Matti grabbed the shot July 22, 2012, on the corner of West CR 1100N and Ind. 15, just south of Milford. He used a Canon EOS 60D camera and a Canon 10-22mm lens. The shot is a blend of three photos taken in rapid succession at different exposures to capture details near the bright sun as well as in the shadows of the corn. One shot was at normal exposure, the second was two f-stops underexposed and the third was two f-stops overexposed. The three were merged and blended together in Photoshop to create the final image. The U.S. Postal Service receives about 40,000 suggestions for stamps each year, yet only about 25 topics make the cut. To have one’s work appear on a stamp is extremely rare. Art director Derry Noyes, Washington, D.C., designed the stamp with Matti’s existing photograph. Matti currently resides in Seattle, Wash.
